Big Changes In The Whelping Box

This week has been full of changes for the puppies and Scout.

Lots

of

changes.

After health and well being, our goal for the puppies and Scout continues to be a good transition to their new homes.

In reading books and websites and looking at a gazillion theories on puppy care, I was beginning to go cross-eyed.  We finally decided to throw it all out and let the puppies and Scout guide us through the process.

This week, I'm feeling really good about that decision.  She has been nursing the puppies less and less and despite our attempts to bribe her to lay in the whelping box more, she is resistant.

So, it must be weaning time!

Softened puppy food was introduced this week.  I wasn't sure how it would go, if the puppies would need a lot of help learning.  But they took right to it!

Another big change has been with the whelping box and crates.  A few days ago the puppies began climbing out of the whelping box...even after we put up the second board.  So, it was clearly time to open it up and give them more room to move and play.

One side of the whelping box is open now so that the puppies can come and go as they please.

We continue to keep the bedding in the box super clean and now have newspapers placed right outside the box so that they go as soon as they wake up.  They are doing surprisingly well with that too.  Soon, they'll learn to go outside, but for now this is a great step for not quite 4 weeks yet.

Also this week we introduced the puppies to the crate.  It stays open and will allow the puppies to go in and out to explore it.  If a few of them are in the crate, we close the door for a few minutes at a time so that they get used to the noise of the door closing behind them.

Scout seems thrilled with having her crate back, and with the new changes.  And all of the puppies seem well adjusted too.  All except this one pitiful little thing.  Bless her.

Week 3 - New Video

The puppies are growing and growing everyday.  They have really entered the FUN stage as you can see in the video above.  We are beginning to really see personalities show through.

The solid black females really are the snuggliest.  There is one liver male that is the most laid back guy you've ever seen.  And the other is all business.  One of the black males is the biggest and "toughest".  And one of the black females is very vocal and outspoken.  So fun!

Week 2 Update

Hello all!

Sorry for the lack of updates.  We've been pretty busy here, but everyone (including these precious pups) are well.

Their eyes are open!  And they are beginning to discover their world.

And their noses!

When Scout gets into the whelping box, we can almost count 5-4-3-2-1 before they sense her and come running for supper.

Scout is beginning to stretch out their feeding times, having to rest outside the box now.

And her appetite is really up feed all 8 of these little mouths.  To increase her calorie intake, she is getting puppy food mixed in with her regular dog food.  And she's also getting a bowl of chicken broth twice a day to make sure she is getting enough liquid. 

And she's back to walking on the leash more and more.  No trips to the beach yet, but we're hoping to get her there this weekend.

Sorry puppies, you'll have to stay home in the whelping box for at least another week or so.

If you'd like to visit the puppies via skype, please email me at esanpedro1@cox.net to set up a time.

Thank you!

Meet The Puppies!

Scout's name came from the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.  So, we've given the puppies temporary names from the same book so that we can tell them apart and begin documenting their little personalities. For the new owners, as soon as you pick your puppy and know its name, we'd like to start calling him or her by their new names.  So let us know!

The only way you can tell them apart is is by the different shaped blazes on their chests and their toes.  I had to enlist neighbor and good friend Marcy to help with with a little photoshoot.

So, let's meet the puppies!

The Black Females

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Black female #1 (Finch)

Blaze on chest

white on feet

Black female #2 (Jem)

T shaped blaze on chest

White tipped toes

Black female #3 (Calpurnia)

White butterfly shaped blaze

black feet

Wh

The Black Males

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Black Male #1 (Dill Harris)

Lightning shaped white blaze

Black Male #2 (Tate)

White blaze in the shape of Pi

white on feet

Liver Female

-----

Miss Maudle Girl

White blaze in a star shape

White tips on feet

Liver Males

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Liver Male #1 (Boo Radley, the boys are calling him Tank)

Large white patch on chest

One white toe

Very vocal when he eats

Liver Male #2 (Atticus, but the boys are calling him Titan)

White T on his chest

White tips on feet

-----

Scout is continuing to be a good mama.  She has started feeding them well, then taking a bit of a break to lay in the warm sunshine outside the back door.  She has started playing ball again and pointing at the muscovy ducks in the neighborhood.  Back to her old self!  

Then right back in to feed the pups.

Tail docking and dew claw removal went very well and the puppies have almost doubled in weight!

We can't believe today they are 1 week old.

More About Scout's Family

I was reading over some of the puppy applications and just loved seeing so much about each of the families that will be new homes to Scout's pups.  And, I was thinking that it might be nice if we answered the same questions so that you all could get to know us a bit better too.

Here goes...

1.  List any children in the home...

• Zane, age 9 loves soccer, legos and running
• Ian, twin to Zane, age 9, loves soccer, running, swimming, and riding his skateboard
• Wyatt, age 6, loves science, animals, riding his bike and swimming and climbing trees
• Sergio, age 40, loves running, biking, playing soccer, surfing, and eating good food

2.  A detailed description of where you live...

• We live in a great, dog friendly neighborhood in Virginia Beach.  We own our own home - 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, nice sized fenced-in back yard with a large park within walking distance.  The beach with-in biking distance.  

3.  Sergio is active duty military so is often away, but I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my boys (and Scout and the puppies).  

4.  Crate training...

• Scout was crate trained and we are strong proponents of crate training.  We feel crate training is best for both the dog and the owner.  We will begin crate training the puppies around 8 weeks before they go home.  We will start putting a crate in the puppies play area for them to explore, then increase the amount of time they spend in the crate.  If you already have a crate you would like us to use for your puppy, we will be happy to use it to make transition to your home even easier.

5.  Other pets in our home - in addition to Scout, we have...

• Two cats - Reggie, 5 year old solid black tom cat and resident mouser and Mittens, a 1 year old who gets into lots of trouble and doesn't like to get her feet wet.
• Two guinnea pigs - Ace and Bugsy who live in Ian and Wyatt's bedroom. They love coming outside at times and hiding in the oregano patch
• Six chickens - 3 Buff Orpingtons and 3 Dominiques that live in a coop in the backyard.  They give us 5-6 eggs a day and good fertilizer for our organic garden.
• And several fish in a tank in the playroom

6.  Describe your family's current lifestyle

• We are a very active family who love to go to the beach, ride bikes and be outdoors.  The boys all play soccer, swim and boogie-board.  Sergio is teaching them to surf.  We enjoy camping, hiking and biking whenever Sergio's schedule allows.

7.  What made you pick the GSP breed?

• I have had dogs all my life, pointers, mixed breeds, even a wolf hybrid over the years.  Before Scout I had a lab mix named Mazzy who died of bone cancer in 2003.  After Mazzy we fostered labs until they found a new home.  When we finally decided it was time to add another dog to our family permanently, we did a lot of research and found the german shorthaired pointer a perfect match to our family and our active lifestyle.  I don't think we will ever have another breed.  We are huge fans of GSPs now. 

A Little Video For You

Hello Everyone!

Scout and the puppies are all doing well here.  We have an appointment to get tails docked and dew claws removed tomorrow.  But other than that we are all just watching puppies.  Who needs a TV when there is so much action going on in the whelping box.

Scout continues to be a very good (and extremely calm) mama.  She met a prospective owner last night, the first person she has not previously known to come for a visit.  And she did great!  She let him hold the puppies and love on her too.

She only gets nervous when you take a puppy more than about 5 feet from the box.  What a good mama!

I have a post in the works to introduce you to each of the puppies, but its taking a bit longer than I had planned to get to all 8 of them.

So, until then, I have a little video for you.

Scout's Puppies Have Arrived!

When I brought the boys in from the bus stop and she was digging in the whelping box and couldn't seem to get comfortable, I knew we'd have puppies within 24 hours or so.

She and I hung out constantly yesterday evening.  When I put the boys to bed at 10 p.m., she tried to hide under Wyatt's bed.  So I laid near her until about 1 when I went back to my own bed.  Then she woke me up between 3 and 4 whining next to the bed and looking a bit worried.  I moved her downstairs back into the whelping box and she and I watched a documentary on the bee population.  (I know, we're a bunch of nerds.)

Hard labor started about 5:30 a.m. or so and the first puppy was delivered around 5:45.  The last puppy was whelped around 11 a.m. - eight healthy puppies in all.

Four males, four females, three mostly solid liver and five mostly solid black.  All seem to have a white blaze on their chests and some have a bit of white on their feet.

So far Scout has been an amazing mother.  She is very intent on keeping the pups and the box very clean.  She got up a bit this morning to go outside and get a quick bite to eat and drink, then right back into the box nuzzling each one of them to eat.  So good!

We are in the process of taking photos of each puppy and making notes on each.  More to come.